startstart2 ●●●S1W2 noun1of an activity/event [countable usually singular]BEGINNING the first part of an activity or event, or the point at which it begins to developstart ofWe arrived late and missed the start of the film.(right) from the startWe’ve had problems with this project right from the start.She read the letter from start to finish without looking up.get off to a good/bad etc start (=begin well or badly)a free bottle of wine to get your holiday off to a great starta rocky/shaky/slow etc start (=a bad beginning)After a rocky start, the show is now very popular.He wanted an early start on his election campaign.► see thesaurus at beginning2of a period of time [countable usually singular]BEGINNING the first part of a particular period of time syn beginningstart ofSince the start of 1992, the company has doubled in size.the start of the year/day/seasonthe start of an election year3 →make a start (on something)4sudden movement [singular] a sudden movement of your body, usually caused by fear or surprisewith a startTed woke up with a start and felt for the light switch.She said his name, and Tom gave a start (=made a sudden movement).5 →good/better/healthy etc start (in life)6 →the start7being ahead [countable usually singular]DSADVANTAGE the amount of time or distance by which one person is ahead of another, especially in a race or competitionstart onThe prisoners had a three-hour start on their pursuers. →head start(2)8 →for a start9 →be a start10joba)[countable usually singular] the beginning of someone’s job, which they will develop in the future, especially a job that involves acting, writing, painting etcPacino got his start on the stage, before his success in films.I gave you your start, so remember me when you win the Pulitzer Prize.b)[countable usually plural] a job that has just started, a business that has just been started, or someone who has just started a new jobThe number of business starts plummeted 10.5% during the second half of the year.a training course for new starts11 →starts12sport [countable usually plural]a)a race or competition that someone has taken part inThe horse Exotic Wood was unbeaten in five starts.b)an occasion when a player plays when a sports match beginsJackson played in 353 games, with 314 starts. →false start, → fresh startat fresh1(4), → in/by fits and startsat fit3(7)COLLOCATIONSadjectivesa good/great startA 3-0 win is a good start for the team.a flying start (=a very good start)The appeal got off to a flying start at the weekend when the group held a raffle.a promising start (=a good start that makes success seem likely)Her teacher says she's made a promising start in learning Spanish.a bad/poor/disastrous startThings got off to a bad start when two people turned up late.a rocky/shaky start (=a rather bad start)After a shaky start, they managed two wins in five matches.a disappointing startHe accepted full responsibility for the club’s disappointing start to the season.a slow startWork got off to a very slow start because of bad weather.an auspicious/inauspicious start (=one that makes it seem likely that something will be good or bad)His second term in office has got off to an extremely inauspicious start.an early/late startIt was long trip so we had planned an early start.verbsget off to a good/bad etc startOn your first day at work, you want to get off to a good start.make a good/bad/early etc startHe made a flying start at college, but then he didn't manage to keep it up.have a good/bad etc startWe’ve had a disappointing start but we are hoping to improve.

Examples from the Corpus

start• Only in 1993-94 did San Jose manage to survive a bad start.• From that bad start, many little rotten apples grew.• He's allowed just five goals in his last four starts.• A pint of vodka at eight o'clock in the morning was not a good start to the day.• If we get off to a good start this season, I think the team has a real chance to win the championship.• We want to give our kids the best possible start in life.• They had an exotic meal to celebrate the start of the Chinese New Year.• There are also no ligatures to confuse the start of the letter as there are in other letter positions.• The runners are now lining up for the start of the race.• From the start, the physical setting was an essential part of the Black Mountain experience.• Tomorrow marks the start of the presidential election campaign.• When we reached the start after a nervous descent there were no fewer than seven climbers ahead of us.start of• The sudden roar of planes overhead marked the start of the war.• Since the start of 1992, the company has doubled in size.the start of the year/day/season• United knocked them out of the League Cup at the start of the season over 2 legs.• But Jones missed 11 games at the start of the season with a torn ligament in his left thumb.• Four out of five stocks owned at the start of the year were sold by the end.• Just getting up at the start of the day without complaining, is an achievement.• When he struggled to find winners at the start of the season, the cries of gleefulrecrimination reached a crescendo.• But that, of course, does not take into account the loan we made you at the start of the year.• The networks knew by the start of the year that the telecommunications bill was going to be signed into law.• From the start of the day to its finish, the Government have got their priorities wrong.with a start• Beast on the Loose Anabelle awokewith a start.• I awoke with a start and reached for the phone.• His voice was louder than he had intended and even his daughter drew away from him with a start.• She realized with a start that she had been gazing on the vista for almost four hours.• In October the new training scheme with start in which Medau music and movement will be combined with a training in physiotherapy.• Dubois jumped up with a start, and visibly relaxed when he saw who had interrupted him.• Waking with a start, she lay in the grey half-light of dawn, wondering where she was.• He soon fell asleep, but woke with a start when his grandmotherplucked out a hair.• Sometime in the middle of the night I woke with a start, as Clarisa climbed on to the cot.start on• The exam was almost over and I hadn't even started on question 3.• Germany's military buildup in the 1930s gave it a huge start on Britain and France.• We can't start on the building work until planning permission comes through.• It was time to start on all those little jobs around the house that he'd been putting off.got ... start• Got to start keeping a cork in the bottle until the performance is over.• As soon as Clarisa got home she started talking about having Janir visit her again in San Francisco.• She still obsesses about June 28, the day her college career came to a sudden stall before it even got started.• However, I had hardly got started before I got the first complaint.• Everyone has got to start somewhere.• After I got started and into the conversation I felt a lot more comfortable.• But the story of how it got started is an odd one.• By noon, we got started.